Re: YRG Care, Chennai ART Symposium (CART 2007)

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum,

It is good to learn that this kind of symposium is being organized in India,

which is the need of the hour.

But, at the same time, it is disappointing that the Counseling component is not

covered in this symposium, whereas it is accepted worldwide that counseling is

an important component of HIV/AIDS management.

Counseling is all the more important when we talk of ART, where adherence

counseling plays important role. Adherence, not only to the medicines, but also

in terms of risk free behavior, nutritional adherence, so on and so forth.

When we talk of HIV/AIDS management, I think all these components also plays

important role apart from medicines. These components should be integrated along

with ART in any symposium. So that the concept of comprehensive care in HIV/AIDS

management is fulfilled and I think then only the aim and objective of such

symposiums (i.e. to make the health care providers aware about the latest trends

in HIV/AIDS management and sharpen their skills) can be met.

In Solidarity,

Trupti Desai

e-mail: <truptid_69@...>

[Guest guest]

Dear Forum

Greetings. First, I would like to wish Dr. N. Kumarasamy, Mr. K. G. Kosalaramana

and the Invited Faculty Members for the grand success of the Symposia “Chennai

ART Symposium: CART 2007” with an expectation of good outcome for the world.

But, I fully agree with Miss Trupti Desai that Counseling should have been

included in the symposium as being the ‘counseling’ the part and parcel of HIV

Intervention and Management.

It is unfortunate that, some times we let it go out the fact from our mind that

the most of the countries which are suffering form the disastrous period of

HIV/AIDS are either developing country or undeveloped country (Sub-Saharan

country which fosters about 69% of the total HIV infection in the world) where

we always have to plan for a resource poor setting and cost effective plan.

In resource poor setting, without counseling no one is going to dare the answer

to the questions ‘When to start ?, What to start?, When to

switch?, What to switch?’, because they have always been in the crises of money

and indeed they would avoid to come to your clinics and path labs because of

stigma and discrimination.

One another point, which I think, has to be included is, ‘how to

pressurize the government and policy maker to sent HIV/AIDS concerned

doctors in the remote areas of the countryside so the that accessibility for all

to the ART can be established.

Dhananjay.

e-mail: dsinha@...